“Myanmar’s state media said Cyclone Nargis killed at least 22,980 people and left 42,119 missing.

American diplomat Shari Villarosa, who heads the U.S. Embassy in Yangon, said the number of dead could eventually exceed 100,000 because safe food and water were scarce and unsanitary conditions widespread.

The situation is “increasingly horrendous,” she said in a telephone call to reporters. “There is a very real risk of disease outbreaks.”

A few shops reopened in the Irrawaddy delta, but they were quickly overwhelmed by desperate people, said Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program in Bangkok, Thailand, quoting his agency’s workers in the area.

“Fistfights are breaking out,” he said.

A Yangon resident who returned to the city from the delta area said people were drinking coconut water because there was no safe drinking water. He said many people were on boats using blankets as sails.

Local aid groups distributed rice porridge, which people collected in dirty plastic shopping bags, he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared getting into trouble with authorities for talking to a foreign news agency.

U.N. officials estimated some 1 million people had been left homeless in Myanmar, which also is known as Burma.” – http://www.kansascity.com/449/story/609158.html

Cyclone Nargis, which hit near Thailand, struck on the 2 & 3 of May 2008. I think this is a really horrible thing to happen. Cyclone Nargis was worse than Hurricane Katrina (for more info click here), which is saying quite a lot! It is horrible to think about the fact that now 1,000,000 more people are homeless due to this disaster. It’s even more horrible to think that at least 20,000 were killed too. I read at www.stuff.co.nz that New Zealand has donated $500,000 to aid the relief agencies in Myanmar. I was actually quite proud when I saw that! It’s great to know that our country is contributing to the funds. My heart goes out to the people in Myanmar who are suffering because of this terrible cyclone. I hope the rest of us can pull ourselves together, to do everything we can to help.